New Poughkeepsie Sign to Be Vandalized Any Moment Now

You can't claim that the City of Poughkeepsie isn't persistent. Up goes the Poughkeepsie sign one more time.

It seemed like a great idea, and one that everyone should have been excited about: a lighted sign welcoming visitors to the City of Poughkeepsie. But after multiple attacks by vandals the Poughkeepsie sign was put in storage... until now.

Back in 2009 the Poughkeepsie Garden Club (Yes, Poughkeepsie has a garden club) raised over $90,000 to build the new sign. Its large blue letters were individually mounted in the ground, surrounding a steel boat sail. Unfortunately, vandals thought it was fun to repeatedly knock over the letters. Presumably playing a cruel game of Reverse-Wheel-Of-Fortune, spelling "Po-keepsie" and then "Po-psie" and then just bashing them down all together.

After multiple tries to stop the vandalism, the sign was eventually taken down in 2013. Some keen observers have noted that the sign has now returned, once again greeting visitors who enter Poughkeepsie on the East-bound arterial approaching from the Mid-Hudson Bridge. What you probably didn't see, however, was the new security measures that have been installed.

The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that the sign is now affixed to a more secure backing, making it more difficult for individual letters to be knocked over. The hope is that the sturdier sign will discourage vandals from ruining it. And if that doesn't work, a new security camera has also been installed to catch any would-be Poughkeepsie bashers in the act.

The new security measures add an additional $6,000 to the already hefty price tag for the sign, which has all been paid by generous donations.

We want to know what you think. Will the new security measures finally keep the Poughkeepsie sign proudly standing, or do you think it's just a matter of time before we're living in "Po-psie" again?